Assigstos to hopedale manufac



I. SNOW FILLING FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 1. 1919 M r W M 5 H m A 7 w WWW L C K Patented Se t. 4, i923.

nNirE STTEES ISAAC SNOW, OF LAVQ'RENCE, IVIASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NOR TO HOPEDALE MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF ll'IILFGRD, IEASSACHUSETTS, A COB-PORATION OF IiiASSA- CHUSETTS.

FILLING-FEELER LIECHAN ISM FOE LOOliIS.

Application filed November 1, 1919. Serial No. 834,948.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that 1, Isaac Snow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and'State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filling-Peeler Mechanisms for Looms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to Whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in filling feeler mechanisms for looms.

One object of the invention is to reorganize the construction of filling feeler mechanisms for looms in order to produce a novel, simple, compact and elficient form thereof. To the accomplishment of this object, the invention consists in the filling feeler mechanism hereinafter-described and claimed.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the filling feeler mechanism in its normal or inoperative position; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing the positions assumed by the feeler member at the extreme forward beat of the lay before critical exhaustion ,of the filling occurs; Fig. 1 is a view similar to Fig. 3 at critical exhaustion of the filling in the filling carrier; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical illustration showing the connections between the filling feeler mechanism and the loom controlling devices.

The loom to which the improved filling feeler mechanism is applied may be of any usual or preferred construction and may be either a plain loom or a weft replenishing loom. If applied to a plain loom, the filling tfceler mechanism operates upon critical exhaustion of the filling tocause loom stoppage, and if applied to a weft replenishing loom the filling feel-or mechanism operates upon criticalexhaustion of the filling to cause the insertion of a fresh supply of filling in the shuttle. In Fig. 50f the drawings the filling feeler mechanism is illustrated diagrammatically as applied to a weft replenishing loom.

The filling feeler mechanism illustrated in the drawings is described asfollowsi The filling feeler member 10 is mounted and adapted to reciprocate upon asupport 30 and is provided with an oscillatory nose 13. A movable arm 15 is mounted upon the filling ,feeler member 10 and is arranged to cooperate with the oscillatory nose 13" so as to be moved outwardly thereby beyond the side of the filling it'eeler member 10, whenever the nose is oscillated in one direction. The construction and arrangement of the feeler member 10 is such that whenever the same is moved forward bodily, torque is ap plied to the nose 13 in a manner as will be. described, producing a positive tendency to oscillate the nose 13 in such a manner as to move the arm 15 into its projecting position beyond the side of the feeler member 10. The nose 13 is provided with a series of filling engaging teeth 16 which are adapted to engage the filling in the filling carrier when the lay heats up and by means of which the oscillation of the nose 13 is either prevented or permitted according to the condition of the filling in the filling carrier. When critical exhaustion occurs as the lay heats up, the nose 18 is brought into contact with the filling in the filling carrier, the contour of which permits the oscillation of the nose 13 in a direction towards the butt of the spindle so that the movable arm 15 is immediately moved into its projecting position. As the lay continues to beat up the forward movement of the projecting arm 15 therewith, is utilized, to initiate the operation of the loom controlling devices so that if the filling feeler mechanism is applied to a weft replenishing loom as diagrammatically illustrated in 5, the movement of the arm 15 operates to initiate the weft replenishing operation. The connections between the feeler member 10 and the loom controlling devices are the same as are usually employe for this purpose and inasmuch as they form no part of the present invention, further desoription is omitted. The shuttle is provided with the usual slot in the side wall thereof,

through which the feeler member 10 may enter to feel for the filling and the operation of the weft replenishing mechanism is as usual andis familiar to those skilled in the I plates it), 1-1, one of which is provided with bosses 16, extended from tle surface thereof and upon which the oscillatory nose 13 and movable arm 15 are pivotally mounted. The plates 10, 4-1, are maintained in spaced relation by the bosses 16, 55, and are prevented from relative longitudinal movement by studs 42, 4:3, extended from the upper plate 10 which cooperate with holes in the lower plate all.

The lower plate 4-1 of the feeler member 10 is provided at the end remote the nose 13 with a boss 55, which serves as a bearing for the forked end of a rod 56. The other end of the rod 56 slides through a hole in an upturned "l 'acket 58 which is extended from the surface of the support 30 and a coil spring 57 embracing the rod 56, serves to yieldingly hold the feeler member 10 in a rearward position with the nose 13 extended as shown in Fig. 1. After the feeler mem ber 10 has been moved forwardly by contact with the filling as the lay heats up, the compression thus set up in the coil spring 57 operates, upon the backward beat of the lay, to return the feeler member to its original position. The casing 30 is provided with a slot in one side thereof through which the arm 15 may project beyond the side of the feeler member. The other side of the casing is closed by a bar 59 normally secured in fixed relation to the casing by pins 69. The end of the bar is turned inwardly and provided with a hole through which a rod 60 slidingly passes.

The oscillatory nose 13 comprises a circular disk having a series of filling engaging teeth 16 in one portion of the periphery thereof, and with a segmental gear 51 in another portion of its periphery. The movable arm 15 is provided *ith a segmental gear 52 meshing with the segmental gear 51, of the nose 18, and the centers of the bosses 45. 4L6, are spaced at such distance from one another that the gears 51, 59., may properly mesh so that when the nose 18 is oscillated the movable arm 15 is swung on its pivot.

lVhenevcr the filling engaging teeth 16 are brought into contact with the filling as the lay heats up. the feelcr member 10 is bodily moved for and therewith. The forward movement of the fceler member 10 is utilized to produce a positive tendency to oscillate the nose 13. For this purpose the rod (:0 is provided with a head received in a recess in one side of the nose 13. The rod til is yieldingly held from movement. so that when pressure is exerted by the filling upon the nose 13, the resistance to movement exerted by the rod 60 through the head 65 causes the nose 13 to tend to oscillate. The end of the rod (30 remote the nose 13 is upturned and connected by a coil spring 61 .with one arm of a bell crank 62 pivoted upon the pin 69 secured in the support 30. The other arm of the bell crank 62 is provided with a pin 68 which is adapted to engage and fit into a recess 66 in the side of the rod (30. The arrangement of the bell crank (32,- spring 61 and rod 60, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, is such that the rod is yieldingly held rearwardly and so that its forward movement is resisted by engagement of the pin (38 with the recess 66. The nose 13 is provided with a shoulder 67 which is adapted to cooperate with one side of the rod 60 to limit thereby the rotation of the nose about its pivot in one direction and is further provided with a bearing surface 70 adapted to cooperate with the other side of the rod 60 to limit the rotation of the nose in the reverse direction, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively. It will, therefore, be observed that when the filling engaging teeth 16 are struck by the filling and the feeler member 10 is started upon its bodily forward movement, the nose 13 is oscillated (when the presence of filling does not prevent) from its position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. d, in which position the bearing surface 70 is brought against the side of the rod 60 there-' by limiting further oscillation of the nose 13. As the lay continues to beat up and the feeler member 10 is moved forward bodily, the rod 60 being also moved forwardly causes the pin 66 to ride up out of the recess and along the surface of the rod into the position shown in Fig. 4 thus increasing momentarily the tension in the spring 61 and thereby increasing the tendency of the nose 18 to rotate. In this position the arm 15 projects beyond the side of the feeler member 10 and the feeler member 10, nose 13, rod (30 and arm 15 are all in extreme forward positions of their stroke.

As the lay beats backward. the feeler member ,0 and associated parts are also moved backward by the compression in the coil spring 57 and the position of the arm 15 and rod (30 remain as indicated in Fig. 4 until near the end of the rearward stroke of the feeler member. At this point the upturned end of the rod (it) strikes the end of the block 59 thereby preventing further rearward movement of the rod 60. The continued rearward movement of the 'l'eeler member 10 causes the oscillation of the nose from a. position similar to that indicated in 1-, to a position as is indicated in.

3. thereby causing the arm 15 to return from its projected position to its normal or inoperative position, as is shown in Fig. 1..

The cooperation of the bodily movement of the. 'leeler member 10 with the rod ('1 to produce the above described oscillation of the. nose 1? only be con'ipared to the rolling of a wheel upon the ground. In such a com rison, the pivot of the nose 13 is the axle of the wheel and th head 65 of the rod 60 is the ground. When considered in this manner, it will be'seen that'as the axle or pivot is moved ina straight line path, the point of contact oi": the wheel withthe ground or in other words, the rod 60 being held stationary) causes the rotation oi the nose l3about the head 65 as a center so that each time-tlie teeler member 10 ismovcd forward bodily, a positive torque is applied to the nose by the head 65(oi the rod 60. I

The operation of the filling feeler mechanism is described as l ollowsdAs the lay beats up and. the teeth 16 of the nose 13 engage the filling in thefillingcarrier, the normal tendency of the nose 13 to oscillate is either prevented by the contact of the teeth with the filling or, onithe otherhand, is permitted if the filling is critically exhausted from the bobbin. At critical 6X4 haustion, the contour of the filling in the filling carrier may present the usual bunch, it the bobbin has been wound with a preliminary bunch or on the other hand, the filling may be exhausted tosuch an extent that there is not a suficient portion thereof remaining upon the bobbin to engage the teeth 16 and to preventthe normal tendency 01 the nose 13 from oscillation. l/Vhen the bobbin is wound with a preliminary bunch and the filling is exhausted to thebunch, it will be observed that the portion of the teethto the right of the central axis of the feeler member 10, viewing Fig. 1, ,willengage the filling before the portion of the teeth to the left of the axis, therebypermih ting the oscillation of the nose 13, through the above described cooperation of the head of the rod 60 and the forward movement oil the leeler member 10.

lVhen filling is present during the normal operation of weaving, the engagement of the portion of the teeth to the left of the axis of the :leeler member 10, viewing Fig. 1, prevents the oscillation of the nose 13 so that as the lay continues to beat up, the feeler member and rod 60 are bodily moved from the position indicated in Fig. l to the position indicated in Fig. 3 with the arm 15 in its inoperative position, so that the reciprocations of the feeler member 10 do not initiate the operation of the loom controlling devices.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described,

it will be understood that the same may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims:

1. A loom having, in combination, loom controlling devices, a filling carrier and a filling t'eeler mechanism comprising a support secured to the loom frame, a jl eeler member movably mountedthereon having a movable arm, a movable nose, and connections between the arm and nose whereby movements of the nose cause 'movements of the arm, said feeler member having provision vvhereby the movements of the feeler member are utilized to cause movements of the nose unless prevented by the filling in the filling carrier.

2. A loom having, in combination, a lay,

a filling carrier and a filling teeler mechanism comprising a support, a feeler member slidably mounted thereon, a filling engaging nose rotatably mounted on the feeler member, a device carried by the leeler member cooperating with the filling engaging nose arranged to yieldingly hold one portion of the nose from reciprocatory movement with the feeler member as the latter is moved on the forward beat of the lay, to thereby cause rotation of the nose unless prevented by the filling in the filling carrier, and a lGVBlfifranged to be moved into operative position. when the nose is so moved.

3. A loom having, in combination, a lay, a filling carrier and a filling feeler mechanism comprising a support, a feeler member slidably mounted thereon, a filling engaging nose rotatably mounted on the feeler member, a device carried by the feeler member cooperating with the filling engaging nose arranged to yieldingly hold one portion of the nose from reciprocatory movement with the feeler member as the latter is moved on the forward beat of the lay, to thereby cause rotation of the nose unless prevented by the filling in the filling carrier, a lever arranged to be moved into operative position when the nose is so moved. and means for limiting the extent of rotation of the nose so that after the lever has been moved into an operative position the tecler member, nose and lever are thereafter moved as the lay continues to beat up.

4. A loom having, in cou'lbination, a lay, a filling carrier and filling feeler mechanism comprising a support, a feeler member slidably mounted-thereon, a filling engaging nose rotatably mounted on the feeler men'iber, a device carried by the feeler mem ber cooperating with the filling engaging nose arranged to yioldingly hold one portion of the nose from reciprocatory movement with the feeler member the latter moved on the forward beat of the lay, to thereby cause rotation of the nose unless prevented by the filling in the filling carrier, and a lever arranged to be moved into oprative positionwvhen the nose is so moved, said device being arranged to limit the extent of rotation of the nose so that after the lever has been moved into an operative position the teeler member, nose and lever are thereaftermoved as the lay continues to beat up.

ISAAC SNOW. 

